How to Define Your Life Purpose
By Tristan
Loo
Living a life of passion and significance requires knowing what
your definite purpose in life is. Defining and living your life
purpose gives you an overwhelming sense of fulfillment and meaning
to your existence because it provides a way for you to use your
values and passions and directs them towards a meaningful objective.
Your life purpose is the essence of who you are as a person. Once
you know what your purpose in life is, you will be able to wake up
each morning knowing that every action that you take that day will
move you one step closer towards your ultimate purpose in life.
Are you a Hero or a Zombie?
There are two basic types of people out there with respect to
having a purpose in life: Heroes and Zombies. Heroes are those
people who design their own lives, who are driven by a compelling
purpose, and who are admired for their achievements in life. Zombies
are those people who are doomed to wander aimlessly throughout their
lives without any rhyme or reason for their actions. Whereas heroes
enjoy the thrill of overcoming challenges in reaching their definite
life purpose, zombies are merely putting in their time until they
expire. When adversity blocks the path of a hero, the hero wages
triumphant battle against it and continues on their path. When
adversity blocks the path of a zombie, they turn and walk the other
way. Which one are you?
Because Most of Us Aren’t Born With a Destiny
We often read or hear about inspiring stories from religion or
from history about unique individuals who seemed to have known what
their destiny was the moment they were born and went on to
accomplish great things in life. That’s great, but I’m not one of
them and I’m guessing that you’re not either. For most of us, we
have to discover our own destiny and unfortunately many of us don’t
discover this till very late in our lives, that is if we are lucky
to at all. One of the first tasks in your adult life is to define
what your life purpose is.
The Components of Life Purpose
Often people confuse their life purpose with their profession or
their various roles in life (i.e. mother, father, husband, wife,
etc.). While your profession or role can serve as the vehicle
through which you can reach your life purpose, your professional
title or role is not in and of itself your purpose in life. Knowing
what your purpose in life is motivates you towards ultimate
achievement and enables you to live a passionate life. Life purpose
is made up of two important components: Core values and associated
passions. To find your purpose, use the following formula listed
below:
Core Values + Associated Passions = Purpose
Core values. These are the fundamentally beliefs, morals,
and standards that define you as a person and which guide your
behavior. While other aspects of your life change, your core set of
values do not change. Core values are what you tell a person who
asks you, “What do you stand for in your life?”
Associated Passions. Associated passions are the vehicles
by which you can fully express and share your core values. They are
the things that you love to do in life. They can also be specific
talents, skills and abilities that you possess which fully express
the associated value. They can also include things that you have
never tried before, but have a desire to experience someday.
How to Define your Purpose in Life
To define your purpose in life you will need a sheet of paper and
a pen. Draw a vertical line down the center of the paper so that you
divide the sheet into two separate columns. On the left side you
will list your values by writing, “I value my…” On the right hand
side, you will list your associated passions by writing, “Through my
love of…”
Step 1—List your values. List as many values as you can
that describe you as a person. You should come up with at least 6-8
values that are applicable to your own life. The order of these
values are not important at this point, just list as many as you
can. These values should be limited to attributes of character such
as strength, heroism, love, devotion, humor, etc.
Step 2—List your associated passions. In the right column,
list a specific passion of yours that fully expresses the value
listed on the left column. Passions are the things that you love to
do in your life, irregardless of whether you actually have done them
yet or not. Passions can also be the dreams that you envision for
yourself later in life.
Step 3—Choose your core values. Now go back through your
completed list and pick the top three values and associated passions
that are the most important to you. While all of the values you
listed define your life, these core values are the necessary
principles that define your life and that you cannot live without.
Step 4—Design your mission statement. Take your core
values and associated passions and place them into the following
mission statement. The following statement is merely a template for
you to follow:
“My purpose in life is to express my values of [ core values]
through my love of [associated passions].
Feel free to play around with the wording until you get a result
that you are happy with. Congratulations, you have defined your
purpose in life. Now go live a life of passion.
© Copyright 2006 by Tristan Loo. All rights reserved.
For over 10 years, Tristan Loo has inspired, motivated, and
brought success to the lives of the people he’s touched. Successful
in his own right, Tristan has competed athletically against
Olympians as a world-class gymnast, saved lives as a police officer,
authored numerous Personal Development and Interpersonal
Communication books and articles, and is a highly sought-after
Personal Development Coach. Tristan is the founder of the Synergy
Institute, a San Diego based Personal Development Firm. His
philosophy of passionate living and helping others fulfill their
dreams has continually been the driving force that has placed him
well above the industry standard. Visit Tristan's website at
http://www.synergyinstituteonline.com or by email at
info@synergyinstituteonline.com
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